Channel Frederator Blog

Mike Scott

Animator, illustrator and music lover Mike Scott tells us about what makes him tick, dance, and draw.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation? How was the transition from creating comics to animation?

Mike Scott: I’ve always been interested in animation. I used to create stop-motion movies as a small kid, things like an inflatable T-Rex chowing down on an action figure.

I’ve been drawing comics for as long as I can remember. The transition was natural, though I’m only starting to get the hang of animation after 2 years of doing it and I still have a long way to go. I use The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard Williams as reference. The early masters of animation blow my mind. I’ve been through a 9-week intensive animation master-class from Algonquin College in Canada. They ran a course here in South Africa. It was 3D animation, but more importantly they taught us some of the basics [Read more…]

Neil Sanders

Neil Sanders is an illustrator, teacher, designer, and animator from Melbourne, Australia. Here he shares a little about teaching animation, his uncontrollable sketching habit, and his dancing pup.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Neil Sanders: I haven’t ever officially studied animation. I studied illustration in 1998-1999 at NMIT in Melbourne, Australia and have always been interested in animation. I studied at home and with friends, reading through at least a dozen books by various animation heroes, so much so that I’ve noticed from their books that Shamus Culhane and Richard Williams really didn’t like each other. Mostly I have learned by listening to people, trying things and seeing what works for me and what doesn’t.

After working and traveling for a couple of years, I returned to the institute to show my folio, which led to some sessional teaching. A few years ago I looked at my new timetable and was told I was [Read more…]

Art Grootfontein, photo by Stanley Portobello

We featured Art Grootfontein’s film “Snap!shots of the Year” just about a month ago, and already Art has turned right around and given us a cool time-lapse of his Frederator-centric “FredMobile”. We talked about it some.

Channel Frederator: What program are you using during “FredMobile”?

Art Grootfontein: In this case, I’ve directly drawn the sketch on my computer using my graphic tablet in Adobe Photoshop (although I really like to draw with a pencil, I do use a digital pencil-like brush as well… this may sound stupid, but I like it).

All the color/texture stuff was also done in Photoshop. When I’m working on an animation, I usually design my graphic elements in Illustrator and then import them into Flash.

[Read more…]

Kirsten Lepore

Channel Frederator’s first featured filmmaker Kirsten Lepore’s artistic talents stretch across the arts (songwriting, directing, and animating to name a few). Her work was brought to our attention from different areas of the web - ranging from food websites to personal blogs. Despite the Internet explosion her work has undergone and being busy with new projects, she still found time to discuss this week’s films, neurotic narwhals, and her love affair with food.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Kirsten Lepore: At the Maryland Institute College of Art – although I was toying around with animation as early as 5th grade when I tried to shoot stop-motion on an 8mm camcorder using jelly beans as my characters.

CF: Did you have any instructors that were particularly influential?

KL: My 2D animation professor, Laurence Arcadias, at MICA was a big help to me during my time at school. She even helped me get the studio space that [Read more…]

Funkadillo CEOs

Funkadillo: Hey there, Channel Frederator!

Barfy just informed us that you wanted to know a little more about the two of us. He does all of our emailing and what not, but since he has hooves at the moment, he wasn’t able to write you back himself. He was so excited you’d taken an interest in him, we had to hose him down in the backyard till he was calm. Ah, that pig sure does love the hose. The neighbors think we can’t see them peeking through their blinds.

Channel Frederator: How long have you two been animating?

Joel: I think we’ve both been at it pretty much all day. We took a lunch break, then there was the laser tag, the trip to the aquarium, the deep fryer incident, and building the squirrel-a-pult, but yeah, other than that, it’s been nothing but animating.

Ryan: I don’t think that’s what they meant. We’ve been animating professionally [Read more…]

Art Grootfontein (photo by Stanley Portobello)

Animator (and Channel Frederator fan!) Art Grootfontein helps ring in ‘09 by glancing back at ‘08 through the eyes of bumbling spyparazzi Stanley Portobello in “Snap!shots of the Year”. Art is a busy cat who digs all kinds of animation… and thanks to us you won’t need a super-spy to tell you that.

Channel Frederator: Where did you study animation?

Art Grootfontein: I never studied animation… That’s why I only try to add a little move into illustrations! I studied at a French national school of design in Paris, but animation became a real passion a few years after I graduated. Actually, I learned animation watching how “real” animators and directors were doing it themselves.

CF: Who (or what) has influenced your work the most?

AG: There are many… but the biggest for me are John Sutherland, for his elegant fifties touch, Mary Blair for her extraordinary use of color, Saul Bass for his graphic rhythm, [Read more…]

Nick Bachman

Stop-motion whiz-kid Nick Bachman gushes about his favorite artists, his film “Chocolate and Mices”, and why he’d submit himself to death by cookies.

Channel Frederator: What was it like studying under Schell Hickel, a Will Vinton Studios alum?

Nick Bachman: It was really a great experience. Schell is a very talented sculptor and animator, plus he’s the perfect guy to joke with while waiting for clay to melt. I couldn’t have animated the piece without his teaching, so big thanks to him!

CF: Who has influenced your work the most?

NB: Jim Henson will always be my biggest influence. He had an unbelievable imagination and never stopped pushing forward with his creativity and venturing into new territory. I also always enjoy gawking at the work of Mary Blair, Basil Gogos, Brian Froud, and Sid & Marty Krofft. On a slightly more contemporary note, I’m a big fan of what I’ve seen from JG Quintel and Pendleton Ward as well.

CF: What [Read more…]

Zachary Lind

You’ll know Zachary Lind, animator/director of “2 Scoops of Justice” on sight – underpants on the outside, sporting a Superman watch, strutting around the UCLA campus.

Okay, that’s a lie. Maybe.

Channel Frederator: Where are you studying animation?

Zachary Lind: I am studying at the UCLA Animation Workshop.

CF: What artists have influenced your work the most?

ZL: Stephen Silver for his great design work, Brad Bird for his shear joy of the form that comes through all of his projects, and Robert Rodriguez for just being inventive with so many hats.

CF: What is your favorite animation?

ZL: Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

[Read more…]

Felipe Zuleta

“Little Big Eater” animator and director Felipe Zuleta has a big appetite for animation. Of course, if your only options were cartoons or fried bovine intestines, you would too.

Channel Frederator: Who has influenced your work?

Felipe Zuleta: I try to study the filmmaking of Brad Bird, Hayao Miyazaki and Akira Kurosawa as much as I can - love going frame by frame, shot by shot though their films.

I also have a habit of “journeying into blogs”, ending up spending hours following links. For inspiration I like starting from Enrico Casarosa’s blog, Erwin Madrid’s blog and Mike Mac’s blog. Takashi Murakami’s work is really cool and inspirational.

[Read more…]

Emmett Goodman

Animator/director Emmett Goodman chews the fat with us over his latest animated endeavors and - bonus! - teaches us a thing or two about eating on the cheap.

Channel Frederator: Who has influenced your work the most?

Emmett Goodman: My influences change depending on what I am working on, but by the end of the day, I feel like I am influenced by the same artists.

The biggest eye-opener for me is Nick Park and the work that comes out of Aardman. I would have to cite John R. Dilworth, who is my favorite New York animator, and another eye-opener. I have always loved the Warner Bros. directors, Chuck Jones in particular. Live action filmmakers like Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Tim Burton and the Coen Brothers make their way in there. Dr. Seuss is an influence I am sometimes not aware of, but comes out in the end. I am also greatly influenced by music, a lot of old rock [Read more…]